Tag Archives: dinner

Active Rest Day: How I Did

Amanda of  Run Principessa took my #AmazingMe list one step further and did a VLOG of hers! Check it out and make your own list if you haven’t already – I want to eventually do a post that links up all of them! Make sure to email or tweet me with the link!

Drawing on the chalk tables at ION with Heather. Thanks for the pic, Jenny!

You may remember on Friday that I asked for your support and thoughts as I headed into a weekend of personal challenges. I’m not going to lie and say everything went swimmingly. On Friday night I met up with Jenny and Heather at It’s Only Natural (ION) in Middletown for what should have been an absolute blast of a vegan meal, but I just wasn’t all there. I felt stressed and dragged down by my negative thoughts. I’d had a longer day at work than I’d expected when I woke up that morning and was running late to meet the girls at the restaurant – a ton of little things just combined to create a perfect storm and I had a hard time being present. The food was AMAZING as per usual. The sweet potato fries made my heart sing. My friends were being wonderful and understanding, but I felt guilty as I drove him for not being able to sit back and enjoy. Guilt guilt guilt!

My meal – the blackened tempeh special with the sweet potato fries and a small side of their cold mashed potatoes. I also had a beet salad to start.

The next morning brought part of the challenges I’d discussed on Friday – Om Street Yoga from West Hartford Yoga. Jenny, Heather, and I met in West Hartford center and took ourselves and our mats over to LaSalle Ave, which had been closed down for the second year of this free outdoor 75 minute yoga class.

Call me stereotypical, but yes I wore my Birkenstocks from the Fitness Meet & Tweet to a yoga event.

There was a great turnout! Mic problems only came up a couple of times during the practice, and a live percussion group was present playing relaxing music, complete with a gong.

The class actually ended up being more intense than I’d expected, which I enjoyed! My heart rate got up there during a ridiculously fast dancing warrior series, and my legs were on fire from all the chair poses we did. As I sunk into the last one, I literally whispered to Jenny, “Are you serious?!” I’d thought they were over!

Texting and folding 😉 it’s safe!

Child’s pose may or may not be one of my favorites #sorrynotsorry

My favorite moment came as the entire class was in a goddess pose, doing a series of powerful arm movements. We pushed our arms up to the sky, to the side, in front of us, and downward, each time shouting out “HUH!” Sounds cheesy but it felt great, like a release, and right as we completed the series the sun broke through the clouds. Our instructor declared we’d “brought out the sun” and the crowd broke into applause. In that moment, I felt united with every single person on LaSalle Ave!

During the class I was continuously impressed with Jenny’s yoga skills. She is actually a yoga teacher and considers the practice to have saved her life. Her movements were so very fluid and I am envious of her flexibility! I’d love to get my om on with her again soon 🙂

Jenny’s yoga pants are amazing.

A part of my personal journey over the last couple of years has been working on being more mindful. Each time I do yoga, I have to admit that I am not living in the present. In fact, I rarely find that I am being present in any aspect of my life. This is something I’m trying to change and I was making an effort to be hyper-aware of mindfulness during the final portion of Om Street Yoga, savasana. My mind continued to wander forward to my plans with Heather and Jenny following yoga, forward to my tasting event later that evening, even back to the chair poses during the class and whether or not they were enough of a leg workout. I’d like to say that it was a zen, peaceful savasana, but instead I felt a bit panicked that it was SO damn hard for me to live in the moment. Why couldn’t I just enjoy?! Still, I followed the teacher’s instructions at the end to wish myself happiness, healthiness, and ease; it gave me some peace.

I suggested Hartford Baking Company nearby for our post-yoga coffee fix. I’d had their food before but had never had the chance to sample their pour-over coffee. My friend Matt was working and he recommended an Ethiopian blend from Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Brooklyn; it tasted excellent, possibly also because he did a good job making it! I liked the glass pitcher it was served in – my kind of pitcher!

Heather and I sipped our pour-over coffee black, while Jenny went with a large regular coffee with her beloved soy creamer!

I had a great time chatting with these ladies, and our sunny cozy table made this coffee trip extra special. But I still know I wasn’t 100% there. Negative thoughts associated with stressing over situations to come, an active rest day, whether or not I was disappointing my friends, and more crowded my mind. When I dropped my friends off at Jenny’s and headed out, I was feeling really upset and frustrated with myself.

I was cheered up relatively soon, however, when I ran into my best friend Lidia at Daybreak Coffee Roasters (I stopped by to get iced coffee – decaf, because I’d had enough caff for one day). I felt like it was fate because it also happened to be her birthday! I sat outside with her, her mom, and a family friend of theirs. We just caught up and I was having such a good time that I really did lose myself in our conversation and not think about the fact that I wouldn’t be putting in a gym trip that day.

Losing yourself over coffee is easier when you love it so much 🙂

It got more challenging though when I got home and finished doing my “blog errands” (photo editing and uploading). I had a couple of hours of free time before my next activity, and didn’t know what to do with myself. Free time?! I felt like a slacker for not taking advantage of it and hitting the gym. I almost felt angry with myself for publicly declaring an active rest day to all of you guys. I thought to myself, well I could save this rest day for a day I’m literally too busy to work out. Why should I waste today, a day I have so much time for the gym?! A lot of the reason I didn’t go was because I didn’t want to disappoint those who had left me such supportive comments on my post, Facebook, Twitter, and more.

I consciously attempted to pull my mind to the positives of the situation, and also to the fact that I needed to do this challenge for ME. I had time to put away my laundry while listening to NPR, something I really enjoy doing. I finally got a chance to get iTunes set up on my laptop and attempted to load all my music onto my iPhone (something I gave up on halfway through, but oh well). I got to zen out on the back porch while doing my blog errands and eat baby carrots with Yummy Hummy curry and lemon cilantro hummuses (humm-i?)

In the end, I know that I did a workout on Saturday. I took a 75-minute yoga class that worked my body, stretched my tired muscles, and quieted my mind (even if only a bit). I had a chance to unwind in the middle of the afternoon before headed to my CT Bloggers event that evening, which probably ended up helping me handle that event well in the end (more on that later). And the next morning when I went to the gym for 45 minutes of spinning and an arm workout, I had a ton of energy and kicked some ass. So I did it. I took an active rest day and challenged myself. I’m not extremely happy with how I handled the entire situation, but I handled it and am a work in progress. I’ll get there. I know it!

How do you handle taking rest days?

Have you ever done outdoor yoga?

How do you keep yourself in the moment and present?

Blogger Recipe Pairing

Tina of Carrots N Cake (a healthy living blog I’ve been reading for several years, since I first discovered them) posted a recipe at the end of last month in a post titled The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Obviously I was immediately intrigued. You would be too, right? Well, I’m pleased to report that Tina is a truthful blogger.

The recipe was for sweet potato quesadillas. YUP. If the post’s title had grabbed me before, I had now been…snatched?…by the recipe’s title. Tina’s version used black beans, sweet potato, and a whole wheat tortilla – all of which my mom used when she made these for her and I two Sundays ago. But Tina also used Babybel cheese and chopped kale, which my mom and I replaced with goat cheese and edamame for extra protein! Mashing the sweet potato was easy thanks to Ore Ida’s frozen sweet potato steak fries. The edamame was also a frozen variety that we simply heated up in the microwave. For the tortilla, we used Flat Out Healthy Grain Harvest Wheat wraps.

How amazing does that look? I have to tell you that it tasted even better. My mom and I did a lot of moaning and groaning – foodgasm-ing, if you will. We paired our quesadillas with Columbia Crest Two Vines Merlot-Cabernet blend. I really loved it – and it’s such a cheap wine! Definitely recommended if you’re on a wine budget.

The beginnings of a great side.

Because that one quesadilla each is NOT enough food for us, my mom also whipped up a second blog-based recipe: Jenny’s refried black beans from Tofu Swag. My mom was doubtful that she’d pull this one off, but it came out AMAZING. The only change my madre made was adding the onions in the beginning (see photo above).

Fabulous AND healthy. This entire meal was protein-packed AND vegetarian! I may eat meat but there’s no denying that it’s totally possible to get enough protein from plants. The refried beans were drool-worthy and we can’t wait to whip them up again.

Thanks for sharing the recipes, Tina and Jenny! Thanks to you two, my mom and I dined like queens on a Sunday evening.

I also just have to say that I had the most kickass workout yesterday. I went to my favorite class at my gym, a Step class with awesome choreography broken up by HIIT drills. The combos were filled with kicks, knees, and “basketball shooters” (for da glutes). I worked most of the moves to perfection and even had the energy after class to rock a 4 minute #plankaday!

#PROOF

Also, check out what I hung up in my work cubicle today…a recap of my Color Me Rad experience is coming to the Fitfluential blog soon! I’ll let you all know when it’s up!

Have you ever tried making your own refried beans?

What’s the best recipe you’ve ever gotten off of a blog?

What’s the most innovative way you’ve ever used sweet potato?

Three Generations Dine at Max Fish

This post may have bad timing since I just recently published a post about how I don’t eat out EVERY night, but please forgive my contradiction because I have a home meal post coming up tomorrow. For now, you REALLY want to read this one. Like, really.

I don’t do a full recap of every dinner I have out (just photo dumps), especially if the restaurant has already been featured in its own post on the blog before. However, the meal I enjoyed last Thursday night at the Max Restaurant Group‘s seafood establishment, Max Fish, in Glastonbury, CT was so noteworthy that I had to do an entire post on it. Let the gushing commence!

Grannan and I!

My grandma (we call her Grannan) had arrived that afternoon from Florida, and my mom and I knew we wanted to take her somewhere special for dinner. Thankfully my family had plenty of points racked up from the Max restaurants’ free rewards program, Max Vantage. Ever since hearing about the Max Fish Tiki Dinner I attended, my mom has been dying to try their regular menu (she is already a fan of their award-winning happy hour), so we decided to use the rewards points there. Plus, they have an outdoor patio – I love dining al fresco! My grandma, mom, sister, and I decided it was the perfect spot to celebrate Grannan’s arrival.

Once seated we were immediately served the above sampling plate of seaweed and pickled cucumber salad. That certainly started the meal out on a high note! The combo was genius and the cucumbers were pickled just enough. Any more and they definitely wouldn’t have paired as well with the seaweed.

We also got a pretty great bread basket. The wheat rolls were just OK to me, but the other variety of roll contained raisins and caramelized onions. Those were so flavorful that they didn’t even need any butter – but that didn’t stop me from using a bit 😉 My favorite part of the bread basket actually wasn’t bread – it was the flatbread crackers with sesame and what I believe were caraway seeds. So satisfyingly crunchy and hearty.

Max Fish has one of those cocktail menus (pictured above) that I could study and debate for hours. They certainly proved themselves to be expert mixologists at the Tiki Dinner! I love wine, but felt like it’d be a cocktail appreciator’s sin to not order one (or two!) of these gems.

Happy with my choice.

It actually didn’t take me too long to decide on the Fish Hook, Max Fish’s take on the Manhattan, because of its main ingredient: Onyx Moonshine. I’ve spoken with the owners of this Manchester, CT-based company a few times at events, and they are a great group of people putting out an excellent, smooth liquor. As expected, the Fish Hook was amazingly refreshing and the orange peel in it looked pretty awesome as well. I savored every sip.

My sister was very surprised when she ordered a Diet Coke and it came out in an old-fashioned Coke bottle. Cute!

She may kill me for using this.

I was debating between ordering tuna and swordfish (the dinner menu is pretty epic…lots of menu indecision anxiety for me!…and cool sidebar – Max Fish has a gluten-free menu!), and that decision was made easier for me when my family and I had the chance to sample the rare yellowfin tuna.

Meg, are you dying?!

I was ecstatic that my mom, grandma, and sister were all willing to try it. And better yet, the madre and Grannan declared that they LOVED the rare tuna!

All gone!

I can totally understand why and I’m glad that their first taste was at Max Fish. The tuna was cooked to perfection, the exterior crusted in an adequate amount of sesame, and the sauce and slaw garnishes were the perfect compliments.

So proud of herself for trying – and enjoying – fish cooked rare!

Hannah was not the biggest fan – she is still in the stage in which the only seafood she likes is mahi mahi, what I like to call the “gateway fish” – but she tried!

She is not a seafood fan!

She much prefers the taste of Diet Coke!

When our food came out there was a bit of confusion with the food runner over whose plate was whose, and which fish was which, so my mom and Grannan’s dishes got sent back. But once we realized that everything had actually been correct in the first place, the kitchen was nice enough to warm the entrees back up before delivering them to the table.

Since I’d tried the tuna, I ordered the above grilled swordfish with pineapple-ginger chutney, local bok choy, and black sticky rice. I have been dreaming of that rice since the Tiki Dinner, and convinced my mom and Grannan to get it with their food too! I never eat rice – I find it to be extremely boring, and it makes me sleepy if I eat even a bit too much, like pasta does. This rice, though, is just the right hint of sweetness and its texture is so fun! I know that sounds strange to say about a food’s texture, but it’s really the first word that comes to mind. The pineapple-ginger chutney was so amazing paired with the sticky black rice. My only complaint is more like a regret – that I didn’t ask for EXTRA chutney! The bok choy was very well cooked, not too oily, and the swordfish was the thickest cut I’d ever received at a restaurant. The outside was nice and char-grilled while the inside was flaky. No knife was needed to slice off each bite – a fork was plenty.

Grannan’s entree

Mom and Grannan continued to make my everythingarian-self happy by taking my suggestion to get the sticky black rice with their entrees as well. They are very much like me when it comes to rice – just not that impressed. But also like me, they were over the moon about Max Fish’s rice! Being true seafoodies though, their favorite meal component was the grilled monkfish. The two of them could not say enough good things about how it was cooked. Grannan also swooned over her sauteed spinach (pictured above).

That right there is Hannah’s choice, the 10 oz filet mignon with creamy mashed potatoes. She also got a side of haricot verts to get her green on. She ordered the steak medium and it certainly came out cooked just as she’d asked.  I have to admit I’m glad she didn’t finish it all because this filet was beyond-words amazing. As in, it-rivaled-J. Gilbert’s amazing. Yeah, I said it. Hannah said those taters hit the spot as well – exactly what she craved.

Me and the sis!

I finished my Fish Hook right when my entree came out, so to go with my meal I ordered something refreshing, light, and citrusy – the French 75.  It was served in a fun, classy glass and contained gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Prosecco. Didn’t taste much like alcohol, and not a cocktail I’d usually order (a bit sweet), but it was still fun to step outside of my martini-shaped box.

The French 75, me, and a bunch of good bread.

We declined dessert because we were all quite satisfied, so our waitress brought the check, along with some nice warm towels topped with fresh lemons for cleaning our hands. My mom adored that fancy ending!

And Max Fish had one more surprise up its sleeve…after-dinner drinks! Again, though it was a sweeter beverage than I’d normally order, I enjoyed the below Strawberry Caipirinha, AKA Brazil’s national cocktail, made with strawberry, cachaca (sugar cane rum), raw sugar, and lime. Hence the lime and strawberry garnishes! This drink made me feel fabulous and was perfect for a warm summer evening like the one we were enjoying that evening.

Lighting doesn’t do it justice – it had gotten dark!

Thank you so very much to Max Fish for giving my grandma an amazing welcome-to-Connecticut dinner to kick off her visit from Florida. We promised her a great seafood dinner and the restaurant certainly delivered! I highly recommend Max Fish for any occasion – or even none at all. If you’re trying to save money, their happy hour is a great way to try a lot of their food options at a discounted price.

And don’t forget to read up on the Max Restaurant Group’s Chef to Farm Dinner Series, which already has generated buzz nationally. I’m planning to hit up one of the August dinners, but there is one coming up as soon as the end of July in Simsbury, CT! Click the link, take a look at the menu, and buy a ticket once you recover from passing out (since it’s so amazing).

Do you have a favorite seafood spot near you?

Which foodie photo is your fave in this post? I won’t judge you if you name a beverage 😉

Myth-Busting: I Eat At Home!

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway for a case of Barres: The Real Food Bar. I have never had this much participation (197 entries!) in a giveaway before – woo hoo! I used a random number generator to pick the winner:

Congratulations to the winner Daphne!

Please email me with your address so I can forward it along to Julia at Barre – thank you again to all who entered! Now let’s get to today’s post!

Burnt (on purpose) Digiorno pizza slice, broc, black beans, and some turkey burger and grilled chicken with spicy mustard.

I get a lot of comments on both the blog and Instagram, as well as tweets, about how often I dine out. I am always excited to share my drinks and eats from restaurants, whether via restaurant reviews or photos shared on social media. I definitely tend to write about restaurant meals more often than I write about meals at home. For that reason, I think there’s a bit of a misconception that’s developed (and I can see why). I feel like many of my readers think I eat out all the time.

Leftover vegan Wildflour sweet potato & black bean flatbread, purchased during my last visit with Heather, eaten at home after class on Friday.

And while I do dine at restaurants an average of 3 or 4 times a week, I eat at home as well! The truth is, the more nights I eat out, the more stressed I feel. There’s a guilt aspect to that unfortunately. I think there is a stigma our media’s projected about eating at restaurants: that no matter what you order, it’s bad…that if you finish your plate, even if you have room for it, you’ve eaten too much…a lot of all-or-nothing thinking is associated with restaurant meals. I’ve struggled with that for the last couple of years, and it’s especially hard to get over when I love restaurants so much, but I’m working on it.

Leftover vegan Wildflour raw lasagna, purchased during that same visit. Eaten during class on Friday night.

However I also get more stressed the more I dine out because there is really nothing like a relaxing night at home with a home-cooked meal, my family, and the DVR. I’m lucky to be living with parents that are grill maestros (my dad) and healthy dish mavens (my mom). I feel the most satisfied and content on a weeknight after I kill it at the gym, shower, and settle in on the couch in my PJs with my dinner plate. Just thinking about it right now is calming to me. No matter what fabulous tasting I have planned or which unique restaurant I’m headed to, there is no night better than a night in.

Takeout from my fave Mex place in CT, Loco Perro, of East Hampton. Salsa, black beans over sauteed veggies, and shredded chicken quesadilla with light cheese. Enjoyed while watching latest ep of “Newsroom” on the DVR.

I don’t want any of my readers to think that I’m always out eating crazy food and drinking weird martinis every night because that’s not who I am. I don’t have that much energy! The truth is, I’m a homebody. I’m a grandma. I crave routine and I crave calm. I’ve been working on staying home MORE nights each week, for my own mental health. Whether I’m out on a weeknight eating a salad or a four-course wine dinner, I get stressed. It doesn’t matter what I order; it’s just the fact that I’m not home. I want the couch. I want my family. I want the distance from the place I ate dinner to my bed to be nothing more than one flight of stairs.

Pinto beans, cornbread, turkey sausage, squash & zucchini, and Ore Ida frozen fries with spicy mustard. Thanks, parents!

I also wanted to bring this up because I really, really want to get more into the daily life posts that I see very often in the blog world. I want to be relate-able to my readers and also be able to share more about my musings, workouts, and eats each day. I feel like sometimes I put pressure on myself to review every meal I eat out. While I love putting them together, restaurant reviews are time consuming, especially when I get so excited and passionate that I feel like I could write forever and ever. Most of the time I have to STOP myself from including every last detail in a review.

Dinner’s accompaniments 😉 quite a pair.

It’s nice to just open up a new post and write about what’s on my mind at that moment – like I did here. And this is MY blog! My restaurant and tasting reviews aren’t going anywhere, but I’m thinking with daily life posts I can project a more accurate image of who I really am! 

What do you guys think? Would you like to see more daily eats/workouts/fashion posts from me?

Which do you enjoy more – eating out or eating in? Which is more relaxing to you?

What’s your favorite meal to make at home?

What are you opinions on the way our media skews the consequences of dining at restaurants?

I’m Amazing Because…

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a case of Barres: The Real Food Bar! You have until tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 11:59PM EST.

I had a different post planned for today, but this is my blog and it’s an outlet for me, and I’ve got a lot on my mind. A LOT.

So this is what I was doing last night:

Pre-dinner snacks: beer bread, sausage, cheese, peanuts, garlic knot.

Double fisting Chardonnay.

Jeff, Kelly, and I went to the latest Chops N Catch tasting dinner. I drank a LOT of wine. I ate delicious food, some the kind I usually eat…

Grilled romaine heart with Rose’s Berry Farm raspberries, almonds, sesame vinaigrette, and Beltane Farms goat cheese.

Steamers, cod, corn on the cob, potatoes!

…and some the kind that I don’t eat every day.

Ground short rib slider topped with lobster, gruyere, lobster bisque on a brioche bun.

Warm maple bread pudding and Royal vanilla ice cream.

You hear that, brain? I don’t eat it every day. I also don’t drink a glass of wine with each plate at every dinner. However, my mind hasn’t been doing a good job of letting me believe that. From the moment I got home last night til now, I have been feeling downright AWFUL about myself. I feel guilty for having desire to attend, going to, and enjoying last night’s tasting. It’s like if I had gone and had a bad time, I’d feel BETTER right now. How shitty is that? Because I enjoyed myself last night, I feel worse today. I have this ridiculous standard I’m holding myself to. Okay, I could make every bite I put into my mouth clean. I know that’s possible. But is it reasonable? Is that any way to live my life? Is that how I want to eat? No, it’s not. Yet because I’m aware that it’s possible, I feel guilty that I don’t do it.

I was feeling ridiculously low this morning and so I called my girl Jenny and we had a good chat. I let it all out and she and I both marveled at the mean things we find our minds saying to ourselves. “You’re not good enough. You should have done this. You were wrong to even want to go out to eat in the first place.” As I said to her – I would NEVER be this mean to anyone. No one deserves to have to follow a standard of perfection. So why do I have to?!

Jenny shared with me that she was going to strive today to be kind to herself. I love the sound of that. My mind is so often very mean to me. I want to get a handle on it and make it nice. I want it to give me some props! So I decided to make a list of why I’m amazing. And I literally titled it that way. #sorrynotsorry

You know what I realized as I was making it? I couldn’t stop writing! Positive thoughts kept popping into my head – a welcome relief. I have a LOT of reasons to believe I’m amazing. Some have to do with food and working out. Most of them don’t. And all of them are the truth.

That top page has a back!

So without further ado, here’s my list. Read it if you want, but what I REALLY hope you do is make your own list. Share it with me and others! And keep it in a place where you’ll have it often (I’m going to put mine in my purse) so that you can not only refer to it whenever you’re feeling down on yourself, but ADD to it as well! Because let’s face it, you’re not going to realize every reason why you’re amazing in one sitting. There are too many reasons for that to be possible 🙂

Caitlin Is Amazing Because:

  1. I have the best family in the world.
  2. I have a full-time job and had two on lockdown before I even graduated – in a crappy economy.
  3. I have wonderful, close friends and also many new friends I’ve met since 2011.
  4. I’m over my ex-boyfriend and have truly learned so much from that relationship.
  5. I adore healthy foods and eat them regularly because I enjoy it.
  6. I love certain workouts, move each day, and enjoy it.
  7. I have a blog that is only growing in readers, is seen as a marketing tool by brands and Fitfluential, and inspires others.
  8. I’m incredibly organized and enjoy being that way. It comes naturally to me!
  9. I’m look at by friends, readers, and my family as a role model in many areas.
  10. I dress well and have a good sense of style.
  11. I’m hygienic (I floss!)
  12. I get a good night’s sleep most nights.
  13. I have way more good habits than bad.
  14. I enjoy writing!
  15. I relieve stress in positive ways like coloring, exercise, NPR, doing laundry…
  16. I’ve never smoked or done drugs.
  17. I read!
  18. I go to school for part-time for free, though I could easily just have decided not to start my MBA yet.
  19. I listen to NPR and truly enjoy learning about the world through that tool.
  20. I keep my room, car, work area, and the bathroom clean.
  21. I ‘ve been more honest about my rocky relationship with food and exercise on the blog.
  22. I change out my contacts and their solution when it’s time to do so.
  23. I sought mental help for an ED on my own, without anyone forcing me to do so.
  24. I only drink one cup of coffee per day (and hence don’t struggle with caffeine headaches like I used to).
  25. I save 50% of each and every paycheck, without fail, and have been doing so for the last two years at every job. As a result, I have way more saved than most 23 year olds!
  26. I like living at home and do so while still trying to be as independent as possible. And I’m saving a bundle!
  27. I really, truly want to and care about getting closer to and bettering my relationship with my little brother. I could just as easily shrug off the distance between us.
  28. I have 0 credit card debt. Or any debt.
  29. I am thrifty when I can be (Coupon Caitlin).
  30. I’m adventurous with food and drinks.
  31. I stay in touch with friends even when they don’t live near me.
  32. I can run an 8 minute mile.
  33. I ran 8 miles without stopping once.
  34. I appreciate my grandparents
  35. I’m open-minded about movies, music, and books.
  36. I’m pretty.
  37. I have nice hair – a bit wavy and easy to style.
  38. I like how every part of my body looks (right now…worrying about the future is a work in progress).
  39. I don’t gamble more than $20 at the casino.
  40. I’m taking initiative and I wrote this list.
You’ll notice that anything about  my outward appearance truly didn’t pop into my head until #36. Yet I spend so much time worrying about how the choices I make will affect it. Do you see a disconnection there? Try making your own list – you’ll be amazed at these kinds of “revelations” that it will bring about.

How do you practice self love? What’s on your list of why you’re amazing? Comment and tell me or better yet – show me on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #AmazingMe!

4th of July and Foodie Photos

You still have time to enter the giveaway for two lawn seats to Hartford Symphony Orchestra‘s outdoor summer concert series! Hurry hurry!

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July! I was so bummed when I woke up and heard rain pattering on my window, but a quick check of the weather reassured me that it would be movin’ on out soon. I hopped out of bed and hit the gym for 30 minutes of high-intensity speed intervals on the StepMill, followed by a good upper-body lifting session. I have really seen increases in my strength in all areas of my upper-body, which has been awesome and a great reward to receive after the more consistent lifting I have been doing! I’m having so much fun both during and after lifting weights because I feel like a rock-star the entire time. I have no shame in making some pretty ugly weight-lifting faces too as I struggle to complete that last curl or shoulder press. That means I’m challenging myself!

I then proceeded to spend 10am to 8pm at my usual summer hot-spot, Pinebrook. It was AMAZING. I drank Whole Foods iced coffee, spent girl time with Kim, read Elle (surprisingly great selection of articles that go beyond fashion, by the way), and took occasional dips to cool off. Around the late afternoon the Florida crew as well as my usual pals showed up and we had a fantastic evening of food and wine.

I was definitely struggling with feeling guilty both during and after the event, though. I doubled up on dessert (how could I not have both my mom’s famous banana pudding, a healthified recipe too, and red velvet cake?!) and did a lot of munching on various dips and chips/crackers. Sometimes it feels like all these “indulgent days” are piling up and happening ALL the time! To de-stress when I got home, I listened to my beloved NPR and colored with Sharpies in a coloring book that I like to keep on hand for these exact occasions. It really helps to relax me and quiet my mind! And I had an amazing time – that’s the bottom line.

I don’t really feel like writing much more, so I’m just going to leave you with a few photos from a wine dinner I attended awhile back at CW’s Chops n Catch. Their next event is this coming Monday, so let’s just call these anticipatory photos!

Deviled eggs served on their classic wooden Manchester map cutting board.

Estancia Chardonnay – a favorite brand of Jenny’s!

Parmesan-crusted local asparagus, Stonington sea scallops, shaved Cato Corner (of Colchester, CT) Vivace

Always-amazing garlic knot.

Roasted chicken pho, poached eggs, udon noodles, scallion, mint.

Pho garnishes.

With the main course – crispy sliced duck breast; apple, sweet potato, duck bacon hash; brown sugar mostrada.

Georgia peach cobbler! With Royal vanilla bean ice cream, streusel topping, and almond tuile. Served with Prosecco.

What’d you do for the 4th? Eat anything amazing? Any great workouts?

Which of the plates showcased above looks best to you?

Max Fish 2nd Annual Tiki Dinner

Ahh, my latest foodie event has come and gone, and now it’s time to recap for you all! I was definitely getting a lot of Instagram love (just recently joined, follow me @CaitPlusAte!) as I live-tweeted and shared the food and drinks I was having during this tasting dinner, which was held this past Thursday evening. The host was Max Fish, one of the excellent restaurants in the Max Restaurant Group of CT and MA. You may have seen it pop up on the blog when I went there for late night happy hour during my 23rd birthday, as well as in this post in which I attended an oyster and wine tasting there, left, and then came BACK for more food during late night happy hour!

After reading my recap of the oyster and wine tasting, the manager of Max Fish, Brian Costa, was kind enough to invite me to a future event. I selected the 2nd Annual Tiki Dinner, 5 courses of food and cocktail pairings. I have never done a multi-course dinner with cocktails, so I was DEFINITELY intrigued. My readers know I love me some classy cocktail imbibing.

The tiki bar – all the cocktails were made in front of us.

My usual foodie companion Jeff and I arrived on time for the event’s start at 6PM, but the first round of drinks was not served until 6:30PM. This annoyed me because I really rushed from work to fight traffic and get to the event on time, but as people trickled in the waiters used the first half hour to ask us if we wanted to purchase any additional drinks before the dinner started. I can understand a restaurant wanting to make additional money off of drinks. Also, it seemed that many of the attendees didn’t show up until 6:30, so starting right at 6 might have made them upset since they’d have missed the first course but been charged the same amount of money as everyone else. Still, I am just a punctual person, and my outlook is if you say an event starts at 6, that’s when it should start. Or, the flyer could have mentioned that the first half hour would be a “cocktail hour” of some kind and include passed appetizers, like the tasting dinner menus at CW’s Chops n Catch do. Just my two cents 🙂

Brian welcomes the guests.

Unfortunately the event was moved from the patio to indoors due to the extreme heat CT was experiencing that day. That bummed me out because I am essentially allergic to AC (AKA it’s always too cold for me) and it also resulted in seating being cafeteria-style at long tables to ensure enough space for everyone. Jeff and I were not fans of that, but we did end up sitting across from a fun couple on a blind date and they were cool to talk to, so it all worked out! OK, I swear this dinner was awesome – I sound like a Negative Nancy right now. Let’s get to the good, and there’s plenty of it.

Bermuda Triangle (aka a Dark ‘n Stormy plus honey and lime).

Course One’s drink was a variation on one of my favorites, the Dark ‘n Stormy, called the Bermuda Triangle. There was a lime “sunk” at the bottom like a “ship” – cute! It also had honey added. I loved the color variation in the presentation and was so excited to take my first sip that I did so without stirring the rum at the top into the drink.

Most attractive face EVER.

OOPS! After mixing the drink’s ingredients and taking another (cautious) sip, my facial expression certainly changed.

Getting into the tiki vibe with our sunglasses. And OK, it’s not mixed yet in that photo.

Course One’s dish was a plate of conch fritters with lime-coconut aioli, candied ginger, and hearts of palm.

THIS WAS SO GOOD. The aioli was so amazing, and Jeff and I were both glad that the dish was served with plenty of it. The fritters were way flavorful and the fried exterior didn’t overpower the seafood taste of the interior. The greens were excellent too, even though they weren’t even listed on the menu as a part of the dish – so they made for a nice surprise. I’d never had hearts of palm before but remembered seeing them on Allie’s blog. They were way saltier than I expected but that made for interesting flavor combos on my plate! The Bermuda Triangle also paired well with this dish, especially given the fact that both it and the food had both lime and ginger flavors.

The dish and the drink.

Course Two’s drink was the Tiki Torch, another beverage shrouded in “mystery” to me when I first read the menu since its name gave away nothing about what would be in it.

Phone is hiding in the background waiting to tweet, as always.

Based off how it looks, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that it was made with rock candy syrup! The crushed ice definitely mimicked the rock candy look. The Tiki Torch also included dark rum, lime juice, and an Italian liqueur Amaro Montenegro. Fancy presentation! Jeff and I loved the glass and the garnish. I also was pleasantly surprised that the drink wasn’t too sweet.

We both got lei’d!

Course Two’s food is brought to you by Instagram, because I’m a bad blogger and forgot to take a photo of it with my camera.

Yup, that’s raw tuna! More specifically, spicy tuna poke of raw tuna, sriacha aioli, mint, avocado, lotus root, and thin sesame crackers. Kinda reminded me of fancy tuna nachos! Of course Max Fish knows how to do tuna. It was so perfect, especially with the sriacha. Both the food and the drink were delicious, but did not necessarily pair together in any particularly noticeable way.

This one wins the prettiest presentation award.

The candied cherry on top of Course Three’s drink, the Red Bitter Mai Tai, was so amazing that I could honestly perhaps call this my favorite drink of the evening BECAUSE of the cherry. Maybe that’s a bit extreme, but damn it was good. Max Fish’s take on the mai tai consisted of Sailor Jerry’s rum, triple sec, lime juice, and Campari. It was a bit sweet for my usual tastes (the triple sec had me wary) but I still finished it 😀

Perhaps that explains the widening smiles.

Course Three also consisted of my favorite dish of the evening, a sampler of mixed Hawaiian dumplings. Right off the bat I knew I’d love them because of how thin they were. Plenty of filling – the GOOD STUFF! Jeff was accidentally served double of one type of dumpling, but the error was remedied fairly quickly.

The dumpling on white sauce (tahini) had shrimp and chile, the dumpling on orange sauce (kaffir lime sauce) had lobster, and the dumpling on brown sauce (Kahlua sauce) had duck. The center was garnished with a cabbage mix. The duck was by FAR my favorite. I just love duck and how fatty and flavorful it tastes! Its sauce was dynamite too. My favorite sauce, though, was the tahini with the shrimp. The shrimp was far from bland, but compared to the other two fillings, it was the most unique. The lobster was…lobster. How can you go wrong? Each dumpling’s soft texture paired really well with the crunchy cabbage. Again, this food and drink pairing didn’t necessarily “go together” to me, but both were delicious (yup, I used that forbidden word) in their own rights.

This one got the biggest Instagram reaction from you guys!

The main course’s drink (Course Four) had a self-explanatory name – the Coconut Mojito. Isn’t it beauuuutiful? And so much mint, which I used my straw to “muddle” throughout that lovely tall glass. The coconut flavor wasn’t too much, especially since I muddled in the mint. A perfect balance! Unfortunately I could not finish this drink – I’d already had my fair share. But it actually paired perfectly with every component of the main course. And there were MANY!

At this point it starts getting dark outside and so my natural light leaves me, and my photos get a bit less pretty.

Um, yeah. This one was NOT a small plate! Served buffet style…unfortunately I missed the money-shot of the full pig coming out to be carved, but I did catch a shot of the carver in action. He worked quickly and expertly.

Each table went up to fill its plates with Polynesian-roasted suckling pig, grilled pineapple, orange sauce, sticky rice, and steamed buns. 

I was sure to get a little bit of everything, as you can see from my plate a couple of photos up. That pig was perfection!!! I loved it with the mojito. I also put some on top of the steamed bun and added the sauce to that combo. Amazing! I want to have a full pork sandwich on a steamed bun. The grilled pineapple was good but definitely overshadowed by the more unique parts of the plate. I don’t even really like rice (it bores me), but the sticky rice had an interesting texture and so much flavor. I’d definitely order it out another time.

Ahhh ugly photo alert.

The dessert course drink (Course Five) had another self-explanatory name, the Tremont Rum Manhattan. At this point Jeff and I were definitely feelin’ our cocktails, and we took a sip of this guy and looked at each other in shock. Damn, it was strong! We both decided that for our livers and our safety, we probably wouldn’t be able to finish the last round. However, I’m glad I had a few sips with the dessert food because the strong rum paired AMAZINGLY with the sweet cold fusion guava sorbet, edible orchids, and pineapple upside down cake!

Definitely wasn’t blown away by this dish’s presentation, but certainly was by its taste. I dipped the flower in the sorbet and ate that first! It didn’t have much of a taste to it, but a nice crunch, always something that I like. The sorbet was tasty but soooo sweet! My favorite part of the dessert was dipping the cake in the sorbet. It was so spongy and I could definitely taste the pineapple.

Thank you, Max Fish! Also, we did not plan to both wear stripes.

Brian, the manager, came by after our meal to make sure we had a good time and enjoyed ourselves. Definitely nice to see! And we certainly had plenty to rave about, so I’m sure he was pleased too. Another successful tasting dinner for me – thanks Brian!

Does it bother you when events don’t start on time?

Which dish would you most want to try? Which cocktail?

Have you ever attended a tiki or luau themed event?

Shake Your Soul Dance Yoga

Hey guys! How was your weekend? I spent mine continuing to smile thanks to your support. It really helped me to have all those new mantras and the abundance of encouragement as I went into the weekend! I’m also pleased to announce that I had the last day of my double-weekend summer class yesterday, and have banged out three credits! Just three more to go this summer!

I’m trying to be optimistic because this morning, I have a REALLY bad case of the Mondays. At first the fact that my alarm was accompanied by a clap of thunder made me happy – I love thunderstorms, especially morning ones, because they are always a surprise. But once the rain came down during my commute, I realized it wasn’t an ideal time to have a thunderstorm. Hello, traffic! I also had to pull over to refill my tank at a Shell station, and as I got to work putting my credit card in the pump, the clouds decided to dump a Six Flags water park-sized bucket of rain from the skies. Then the pump decided to decline my card twice (there was no reason for it to do so).

Not as psyched as these fine folks. Source.

I dashed back into my car now soaked to the bone, and ready to burst into tears. Instead I took a deep breath, pulled out my umbrella, and pumped my gas using a different credit card. And it worked. And now I’m drinking black Mudslide coffee from Peaberry’s and trying to keep calm and carry on, as they say. At least I have this blog as an outlet.

But I want to share my thoughts on the new fitness class I mentioned that I was trying on Friday, Shake Your Soul dance yoga! The class was held at Granby Yoga in Granby, CT (I highly recommend this studio for any local readers, the Wednesday power class with Laura is amazing) and was full before the day of the event even arrived. It was only $22, which I felt was totally worth it to try such a unique class that combined two of the things I love, dancing and yoga. The instructor, Jayne Dean, is a Certified Expressive Movement Therapist and certified by the creators of Shake Your Soul, the Levin Institute.

Source

Some examples of benefits of Shake Your Soul include:

  • release of body tensions and movement of body fluids
  • learning to trust the body’s “intrinsic ability to dance” (I love that!) and feeling more comfortable in your ski
  • cardio workout and strengthening of core and lower body

I definitely have to say that I felt all those benefits during the class. Usually on Fridays I go to Group Step and sweat my face off, but I still got a bit sweaty during dance yoga. More importantly, I also had FUN. I’m a huge fan of dancing (anyone who saw me doing Ilyse Baker‘s cardio dance at Reebok knows this) and my favorite songs were the hip hop ones (I recognized Black Eyed Peas and Talib Kweli), especially since Jayne gave us the chance during that part of the class to just freestyle and dance as we wished. We also did group and partner dances, line dancing, and African dance!

Our teacher, Jayne, in action. Source

I have to admit that I felt a bit guilty about doing a workout that was “less intense” than my typical Friday fitness class, but I did something new and something that I love, so I was trying to and still am trying to reflect on that fact and feel proud of myself for going outside my box and breaking routine. It’s not easy for me to do that! I danced my hardest and tried to make each “move” as intense as my body felt comfortable with. My quads were DEFINITELY burning during the plie squats and lunges we did. Many of the moves also combined cardio and strength because not only were they quick with lots of arm movements (cardio), but they required us to stay low in our legs (strength). And if you think about it, that makes perfect sense since dance is one of my favorite ways to get cardio in and yoga is a great way to strengthen the body.

Jayne does other classes around CT, and Granby Yoga wants to have the class again, so I hope I get to do Shake Your Soul again soon. You can look for a teacher in your area here! And I’ll be sure to mention when I’m going again, in case any local readers want to join 🙂

Source

If you want to see examples of Shake Your Soul dancing and student perspectives, check out this cool video from Kripalu! I wish I had videos or photos from my event…maybe next time I can ask Jayne to snap some shots for me!

After the class, I went to a friend‘s birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant, J. Gilbert’s, and got a dish there that I’d never tried, the Lobster Cobb Salad! I also enjoyed a couple glasses of red wine. Again, I felt a bit guilty getting the wine after doing a less intense cardio workout for the day (and I’d taken a rest day the day before), but once I was with my friends I relaxed a bit. I also talked to my mom before dinner, and as usual she had plenty of encouragement for me. She also told me she was proud of me for skipping Step in favor of something new and unique. Hearing that really perked me up and helped wipe my mind of annoying guilty thoughts so that I could enjoy dinner!

Greens, balsamic vinaigrette, lobster, sweet potato straws, avocado, hard-boiled egg, corn nuts, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and mango salsa. Boo flash.

Started with a glass of Syrah! Like my post-yoga-dance look?

Had to embarrass Jeff with this photographic evidence of his death grip on my shoulder.

Is it hard for you to try a new fitness class (and break your normal routine)?

Have you ever done some kind of dance yoga workout?

What was the best dinner you had this past weekend?

Who are your sources for support if you are struggling with food and/or exercise-related guilt?

What’s the worst case of the Mondays you’ve ever had? How’d the Monday turn out?

Summer with a Side of Guilt

Summer is officially here! What comes to mind when you think of summer? I think of warm weather, beaches, family, friends, concerts, sunglasses, flip flops…and parties. Now, get that image of a keg out of your head. That’s not what I mean.

I prefer homemade sangria to a keg.

I mean summer parties, whether in the form of barbecues, bonfires, backyard grad parties, festivals, tasting events…frequency of all of the above really kicks up in the summertime. I already know this from personal experience over the last month – and it wasn’t even summer yet.

Cabernet, strawberries, oranges, and lemon seltzer.

With these parties come the usual suspects – food and drinks. Suspect is probably a poor choice of words though.

Yup, I made that!

It’s a poor choice of words because thinking of the food and drinks at my beloved tastings, BBQs, and shindigs as bad guys is exactly what I’m struggling with…and trying to get away from.

I’ve found that in the back of my mind, as I sip on my sangria and roast my marshmallows, I’ve been battling those nagging feelings of guilt over indulging. A creeping fear that I will enjoy doing so to such an extent, that it will become a daily habit (and hence, no longer an “occasional splurge”).

Kim and I have bonded over our sangria love since we first started hanging out!

Which stinks, because what I really want to do is tell those thoughts to go to hell so that I can have fun with my friends and relax. In fact, Jeff and I have even created a little inside joke hashtag that we can throw out at me when I need to do just that – #CalmDownCaitlin.

Sometimes at summer festivities, I start feeling overwhelmed. I look around at all the good food and refreshing drinks, and I want to try it all. It’s OK to try it all! Then my over-planning mind kicks in: But what if I get full first and overeat? What heavy ingredients are in that dip? How much juice is in that sangria?

White and red sangrias, the right courtesy of yours truly.

Nothing better than crusty bread and cheese!

I am often able to find myself distracted enough by good times to quiet my mind and enjoy myself in the moment. I’m glad I haven’t been missing out on anything.

Yeah, I overloaded on the fruit in the drink.

But often times when I get home from a BBQ or a tasting event, I start dwelling on what I ate. On if it was really “necessary” for me to have a second helping, or if I really “needed” to have  a third glass of wine.

Memorial Day BBQ Dinner

Father’s Day BBQ drinks – white & red wines

OK, maybe I physically don’t need dessert, or cheesy dips, or creamy potato salad. But when I’m surrounded by family and friends enjoying those things, and when I find myself looking at them with envy, that doesn’t matter. It’s what I WANT, not what I SHOULD do, that can guide my decisions and my actions.

Family friends gathered around the dominoes table.

The problem is that I don’t trust myself when I’m surrounded by stuff I get excited about – stuff like this:

But just because I love all the food and drinks at these parties doesn’t mean I’m going to go crazy and eat everything. In fact, it means  it’s the PERFECT time for me to just sit back, enjoy myself, and try the foods that I want to try. Eat the potato salad that I want to eat, despite the fact that it’s got bacon on top. I mean, these fabulous parents are grilling us all this amazing meat and seafood, so why not throw some steak onto my plate next to the chicken?

I honestly am usually more of a savory food lover than a sweets lover, so why not have a bit of that Coca-Cola chocolate cake (below right) if I want it? Eating it will not make me want to eat it every single day from then on out.

There’s a reason everyone, me included, looks happier with an ice cream cone in hand. Ice cream is worth it. Happiness is worth it!

How cute is my friend Erica with her homemade strawberry ice cream?

No use crying over spilled milk, right? So no use feeling guilty over strawberry shortcake either. OK, that was a reach. Go with it.

When I’m smiling like this and having a good time, does it really matter that I’m not being “perfect Caitlin”? That I’m not eating clean? It’s just one day – one meal, even.

My friend Colin, stickin’ his butt in my picture.

I don’t want to look back on my summer, or any time in my life, and regret holding myself back. There are already periods of my life that I feel that way about. I don’t want there to be any more. How can I hold myself back when there are so many good times to be had?

Not sure if this qualifies as a good time.

What’s the benefit of living a physically healthy lifestyle if I can’t be mentally healthy, too? I’ll have this body for the rest of my life, but I’ll also have this mind. And the guilty feelings that invade it and scold me for following up dessert with another glass of red are not healthy.

I want to let go. I want to let the good times roll. I want to come home at the end of the day, take a deep breath, and tell myself that I wasn’t perfect today – and have that be a GOOD thing. I want to CONGRATULATE myself!

About to enjoy a s’more!

Because I deserve to laugh at moments like this…

I deserve to sit around a bonfire and play Catch Phrase with my friends…

I deserve to say “yes” when someone asks me if I’d like a s’more…

Perfect roasting position.

I deserve it all! And that’s OK.

Father’s Day…where are the fathers?

Do you have certain times of the year when indulging stresses you out more than usual? I know the holidays are another time that many worry about.

Do you have any suggestions that have been helpful to you for dealing with feeling guilty over not eating “100% clean”?

What ways are you kind to yourself mentally?

WIAW: Photo Dump Edition

A very special happy birthday to an inspiring friend, Meg! Happy birthday dear, you make me smile and feel stronger every time I read your blog/tweets!

Can you believe I’ve never done a What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) post?! I always thought they had to be about a day of eats. In fact, at first I thought it could only be about a Wednesday of eats. But I’ve seen lots of creative ways to do it, including posts in which people just share yummy things they’ve been eating all week, not just from one day. Now that’s more my style!

So now thanks to Jen of Peas & Crayons, I give you the first Cait Plus Ate WIAW: The Photo Dump Edition.

Warm-Roasted Eggplant & Wonton “Napoleon” from Arugula in West Hartford, CT.

Arugula delivered one of the best falafel plates I’ve ever seen!

Duck confit & chorizo sausage flatbread from Arugula. It was to die for!

Brookline Sour at Barcelona Wine Bar in West Hartford, CT

Instagram version! This drink is made with rye whiskey.

Barcelona has amazing bread & olive oil! It was piping hot when it arrived.

Suckling pig with red chimichurri and local radishes with butter and sea salt at Barcelona Wine Bar. Aaaand I just realized that pig has numbers on it!

Rioja wine flight at Barcelona Wine Bar

Left to right: Finca San Martin, Villarica, Cerro Anon

Barcelona Wine Bar tapas: Chorizo with Sweet & Sour Figs (Balsamic-Sherry Glaze) and Coca del Dia (Feta, English Peas, Garlic Scape Pesto)

The Aviation

An at-home dinner (yes they exist): turkey burger with sweet & spicy mustard, bean medley, broc, burnt (on purpose) cornbread.

Another at-home dinner, literally the exact same thing, ha! With a side of Rioja.

For Meg!! The Kill Bill roll from Min Ghung in Glastonbury, CT: spicy tuna on the inside with eel, salmon, and avocado on the outside. Drizzled with Vietnamese Chili.

Min Ghung Sake Sampler: Peach, Snow Maiden, Pear.

Sonoma beer tasting!

Clearly still a beer lover work-in-progress.

Guacamole at Maria Bonitas by West Point.

Bartender there made me the BEST marg I’ve EVER had! Natural style, on the rocks, extra salt.

My mom agreed!

Maria Bonitas black bean soup – tasty but WAY filling!

This hole in the wall style place had the best ceviche I’ve ever had! With crab, shrimp, and octopus.

I’d be lying if I said I had any of this.

Bread from Torches on the Hudson in NY. Pretty good, nothing to write home about.

Bitter-Sweet Citrus Martini: citrus fruits muddled in Stoli, with St. Germaine

BBQ Salmon, Broccoli, Asparagus, Black Bean & Corn Salsa at Torches. HEAVENLY.

One of the most unique drinks ever. Vanilla Sage Crush: vanilla-infused tequila with fresh sage, honey, and lemon.

On the way to my friend’s West Point graduation with Starbucks in hand!

That is far from everything, but at least this Caitlin-style WIAW has given me a way to share many days’ worth of restaurant trips (with some home eats thrown in). Kinda ended up being a Wordess WIAW!

What looks best to you? I won’t make you choose one thing 😉

Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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Design Credit

My header was originally designed by Mai Le and later tweaked by Chris Roggi to match this theme, which he helped me customize. He also moved me over to self-hosting! Both can be contacted through their sites for design & development work!

Disclaimer

I am not an RD and do not have any official training, certifications, or degrees in nutrition or fitness. This blog is a way to write about my life. Any views I express are mine alone, based on what works for me, and should never be taken as medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or a trained professional before starting a new diet or fitness plan. In addition, this blog and its content are in no way affiliated with Kate Gosselin, “Kate Plus 8”, TLC, or any related affiliates.

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